Three Levels of Knowing

To know something deeply, we must first gather information, realize the implications of the information, and then cultivate an understanding of the information that is deep enough so that we can create a temporary respite from suffering. This can also be described as a three-step path of information, knowledge, and realization. At each stage of awareness you create less suffering for yourself and others, independent of your mind state in any moment.

Phillip Moffitt

At the peak of his career, former CEO and Editor-in-chief of Esquire magazine, Phillip Moffitt, traded in his worldly aspirations to explore the inner life. He subsequently founded the Life Balance Institute and now teaches vipassana meditation with an emphasis on living the dharma in daily life. Phillip is a co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and the author of Emotional Chaos to Clarity and Dancing with Life.